Alternative Wedding Styling with Urban Cool Vibes at Lodge Farm

This beautiful styled wedding shoot at Lodge Farm gives a perfect mix of fresh spring florals with urban cool vibes, a wonderful contrast between classic wedding style with lush green florals against a harsh, rugged background. It provides us with inspirational imagery for alternative wedding venues and a fresh tropical feel.

Here we catch up with Joanna from VV Raven Florals who tells us how she and a selection of cool and current wedding suppliers created the look.

“I was influenced by the romance of The Barns at Lodge Farm and the current state of dilapidation of some of the buildings. In harmony with a desire to promote British flowers and sustainability and with the location being a working arable farm I chose to create a series of shoots called Celebration of the Seasons- beginning with this shoot, spring.”

“The beauty of the setting blew me away and I passionately felt the need to fulfil my vision for the space. I loved to mix fresh and faux florals and used this shoot to show the advantage to using them together and how indistinguishable from each other that they can be.”

“The Barns at Lodge Farm is a new wedding and events venue where several barns are currently being renovated, and I wanted to document their dereliction and history/romance before they are refurbished. The ethos of the venue fit perfectly with the key influences for the shoot, and the changing landscape of the fields throughout the year are an idyllic backdrop for the Celebration of the Seasons.”

My styling was inspired by the fertility and purity of the rebirth of a fresh new spring with virginal tones of blue and white. Faux ferns and foliage were used to create a lush botanical feel to the spaces. Bare trees foraged from the farm were used to decorate the outdoor room created; trees have a symbolic meaning incorporating strength, transformation and wisdom. – All very relatable to a wedding day.”

The Dress: River Elliot Bridal

“Spring forever symbolizes growth and new life, so when I was invited to design a wedding dress to represent this time of the year, I first looked at fabric. It’s how I usually work anyway – finding unusual, beautiful fabric and letting the design grow organically. During my search, I found this exceptional, contemporary fabric that is adorned with soft cream ringlets made from tulle and satin. Instantly I thought of making a stunning bridal skirt, with the movement and design of the ringlets representing the energy and growth of spring roots”

“The end result is so eye-catching and everyone who sees it just wants to touch it, which in essence is what Spring is like. I paired the bridal skirt with a slip dress made from organic peace silk. It’s important to me to use ethical fabrics where I can, and this silk crepe de chine is so luxurious yet organic, which I thought was perfect for a shoot inspired by spring and nature.”

Florals: VV Raven

“The fresh flowers used were mostly British grown blues and whites to reflect the first blue skies of spring interspersed with fluffy white clouds. They comprised scented blue and white hyacinths, lavender, grape hyacinths, tulips, hellebores, ranunculus, anemones, skimmia, amaryllis with added unexpected tropical touches and beautiful dark green foliage used as a foil. Large foliage hoops were used to add drama; these were covered in luxurious garlands of evergreen foliage, twigs, and blossom. Also used were faux green stag’s head ferns, faux flowers in greens and whites interspersed with twigs and evergreens, to create faux headdresses and bridal bouquets.”

Cake: Fifi’s Bakery

“For the cake we used locally- grown organic edible pressed flowers to create a spring flower meadow on a cake.”

Hair and Make up: Ieva Genovesi

“The hair and make- up was inspired by the floristry and tiara maker. I created soft curls and flawless make up for the Fresh Spring look that complimented the rest of the teams’ talents; also I felt that this would appeal to many brides who like a unique, slightly edgy rustic look that is still fresh and natural.”